The Steadies closed out the show at Moose Fest 2021 in Bellevue, Sask. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Live Music

Inaugural MooseFest doesn’t disappoint as music festivals return in Sask.

Aug 9, 2021 | 9:56 AM

Live music has returned in Saskatchewan and one music festival made its debut on Saturday.

MooseFest in Bellevue featured performances from the Steadies, Seven Mile Sun, League of Wolves, and two acoustic sets from Kitchener Langfield. The brand-new music event was brought to life by Funky Moose Records and the hosts of the Sit Down Podcast that focuses on promoting indie musicians in Canada.

President of Funky Moose Records and co-host of the Sit Down Mark Poppen told northeastNOW from what he has heard from musicians on the podcast, it has been a long year and a half with not being able to perform live.

“The bands are just so excited to be here, and not just here but every gig before and after what they are doing here,” Poppen said.

Co-host Joel Gaudet reiterated the excitement of musicians being able to return to the stage.

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“They get to play for a live audience instead of a Facebook webcam or Instagram live or something,” Gaudet said.

The idea for MooseFest came about over a year ago but the actual planning for it only really started when the date was set on the lifting of public health restrictions. Short notice didn’t seem to be a problem for the bands or anyone else that came on board to make it happen.

The community of Bellevue embraced the first ever MooseFest. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

“I think within three days we had the venue booked, the bands booked, the bar outsourced and the food,” Gaudet said. “All within three days, we were just so ready to go.”

Ticket sales might have been the most challenging part of making the show a reality. However, sales did pick up about a week before show time, and some simply grabbed their ticket at the door.

While the support of the event is greatly appreciated, Gaudet hopes the purchasing of tickets will change a little bit for next year and for shows in general.

“We want to support music, but the problem is people wait until last second to get tickets,” Gaudet said. “You can’t lock in the talent without a guarantee and that’s why there aren’t that many concerts in Saskatchewan.”

Both Gaudet and Poppen reside in Bellevue and figured it was a good place to start the festival with the community already being quite popular for slo-pitch tournaments.

“I always make the comparison to Craven which also started in the middle of nowhere,” Poppen said. “We wanted to do something outdoors but with the first one we decided to start small and see how it goes.”

The pair is planning to make MooseFest an annual event and hinted that next year will be on a bit of a bigger scale.

The two organizers gave credit to The Steadies front man Earl Pereira for giving them the push they needed to go ahead with their dream of MooseFest.

“He called us on a Friday at around 9 p.m. and told us we have Aug. 7 available and you get dibs if you want it,” Poppen said.

Some calls went out to book everything else and MooseFest was solidified by the Sunday with The Steadies as the headliner.

The Steadies are celebrating 10 years as a band this year and played on the very same stage in Bellevue for one of their first ever shows together.

Seven Mile Sun, an alternative rock trio from Harris, Sask., started off the show and was followed by the rock group League of Wolves from Saskatoon..

Kitchener Langfield of the bands Cadillac and Old Sols provided acoustic sets to keep the music going between each band.

“Something like this just feels incredible, and not to sound too cheesy, but it feels magical,” Langfield said. “Live music, especially electric live music has a magical quality to it that we have all been missing in our lives.”

Since Langfield was six, he has been playing music when he was “forced to take classical piano lessons.” He started playing guitar when he was 14 and has been in multiple bands since then.

Kitchener Langfield of Cadillac and Old Sols played two acoustic sets at MooseFest 2021. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

Cadillac was formed in August 2019, but with the break brought on by the pandemic, they have only had a couple of live shows together. Cadillac is set to play a show at the Range Line Tavern in Cadillac, Sask. on August 14.

Langfield will pull double duty at the show with both of his bands booked for the evening. Old Sols will also play the Coors Event Centre in Saskatoon along with Seven Mile Sun on Sept. 27.

He said they will continue to book shows whenever and wherever they can.

“All I can say is I’m stoked to be able to do what I feel like I’m meant to do,” Langfield said.

The lineup for next year’s MooseFest is already in the planning stages and will be announced next spring, once again taking place in the hamlet of Bellevue.

Bellevue is located about an hour northwest of Melfort, and 40 minutes south of Prince Albert.

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angie.rolheiser@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser